Hey fellow wooters! I want to get hubby satellite radio… Which one??? Thanks so much for the help as I don’t know a thing about them. Nobby…

I have XM. Soon Sirius will have that guy from New York City exclusively, if your husband is into that (Howard Stern). XM has the guy Bob Edwards from NPR.

It came with the car, so I don’t have any great personal attachment to it. It works well, the music is pretty easy to find something you like, it has a very good traffic channel, for quite a few cities. The billing is terrible. They seem to have forgotten the things that make a company actually work. You sometimes can pay online, but sometimes not. I can’t pay online from home, cause we don’t have Internet Explorer. Even with it, sometimes I can’t pay. For a while, they tried to charge us extra for paying by check. The people who collect the bills don’t seem to work for them, or they work on a percentage, because I had about 6 of them calling me when I didn’t pay on time. If it weren’t for the traffic thing, and having it installed in the car, I might not keep it. But for traffic, I can pay $10/month, unless it has gone up, and use it mostly for that.

Get the MyFi from XM. It is the best satellite radio receiver you can get. It’s portable, so you can wear it like a walkman, but it also comes with a car kit and home kit. I have one, and I love it.

Don’t bother with Sirius. Their technology is way behind XM. For example, their portable unit doesn’t allow you to listen live, you have to record, then listen. And you can only record 45 minutes. The MyFi can record 4 hours, and you can listen live, like while you are sitting on the beach or whatever.

XM also has Opie and Anthony, who are far more entertaining than Howard Stern.

Best price for a new unit is on myradiostore.com. I bought from them, they are good people. Also check out xm411.com’s message board. Any questions you have about XM can be answered by searching there. You could also try ebay for a used unit, if used is ok to give for a gift.

I’ve had XM for a few months (when the price for the Roady2 went down below $50). XM vs Sirius is mostly just a matter of programming preferences…XM has all MLB games and NASCAR races; Sirius has NFL games. Both have somewhat similar setups for music, talk radio, oldies, etc.
I think the equipment for XM is a little better, myself, but I don’t think the difference is that significant. XM uses two satellites, and I think Sirius has a couple more. Car units receive the signal and re-transmit it over your FM radio. MyFi type units have their own internal antenna to receive and play, and can capture music like a TiVo. Cost a bit more, though.
No matter what you get, it will still cut out when the satellite footprint is blocked (overpasses, tall buildings, canyons).
Sound quality is pretty good, but not as good as a close FM station or a CD, so it probably shouldn’t be the primary source for a window shaking stereo.
If hubby is on the road a lot, he will sing your praises endlessly as it is a great way to get reception even in the middle of South Dakota.
If he doesn’t travel a lot, he’ll still be happy 'cause it’s a cool toy…
I’d say do a little more research to find what fits the budget and needs and make the buy…

thanks for the info guys! Oh and can you get these at circuit city or best buy or somewhere like that? thanks again

You can get the MyFi at those stores, but you will pay less online. Myradiostore.com sells for $200, Best Buy for $250. Plus the big stores always seem to be out of them (high demand I guess).

It is true Sirius has more satellites in orbit, but that is only because they use a different coverage method. XM has 2 that are in geosync orbit, so they are always right above N.America, where Sirius has 3 that are positioned all around the world, so N.America is always covered as the Earth spins.

Last time I was out in California, I had a rental car with satellite radio. It sounded really good, but I quickly got annoyed with cutouts from overpasses and stuff. It seemed the cutout was immediate but there was a noticeable delay in reacquiring the signal - well after clearing the obstruction.

Thank you all!!! Sirius seems to be the winner.( Thanks Chestersliver! Bought it at your suggested online store for $200 and on top of that I’ll get a rebate for $50 back in the mail)

You picked the right one! I’ve enjoyed Sirius for almost a year, check out channel 118 when you open and set it up for hubby. Old time radio, really great for my 45 minute commute. I am so hooked. Don’t have much prob with the overpass thing, I think it depends on your frequency, and type of receiver you have. I have two, one for the car, one for the house and switch back and forth in my truck. Never tried XM but when you’re happy, why switch…
Have fun with all the “listening” its a blast.
BTW, any questions, PM mac daddy1, he’s great at splainin’ stuff and also has a couple Sirius’ plugged in.
Regards,

When I saw the $50 rebate comment I thought you might have meant XM… MUCH better choice. I’ve been a XM sub for over four years… and haven’t listened to FM (or AM) radio since October 6, 2001. My original receiver died a week ago… guess four summers of 115 degrees outside the car and 170+ inside the car here in Yuma finally killed her. Not bad.

Picked up a Roady xT… amazing how the old receiver was the size of a textbook and the new one’s the size (and half the weight) of an iPod mini, and has an FM transmitter built in.

(and to the guy with the overpass problem… if that was XM… something’s wrong with the car. I have only one overpass in town that kills my signal… it’s a railroad underpass that’s about 200 feet long and sunken. In most major cities, the repeaters should solve any lingering overpass problems (I’ve never had a fadeout in SD, LA, LV, or Phoenix, even in Phoenix’s Deck Park Tunnel or whatever they call it (1 mile of I-10 underground))

When I saw the $50 rebate comment I thought you might have meant XM… MUCH better choice. I’ve been a XM sub for over four years… and haven’t listened to FM (or AM) radio since October 6, 2001. My original receiver died a week ago… guess four summers of 115 degrees outside the car and 170+ inside the car here in Yuma finally killed her. Not bad.

Picked up a Roady xT… amazing how the old receiver was the size of a textbook and the new one’s the size (and half the weight) of an iPod mini, and has an FM transmitter built in.

(and to the guy with the overpass problem… if that was XM… something’s wrong with the car. I have only one overpass in town that kills my signal… it’s a railroad underpass that’s about 200 feet long and sunken. In most major cities, the repeaters should solve any lingering overpass problems (I’ve never had a fadeout in SD, LA, LV, or Phoenix, even in Phoenix’s Deck Park Tunnel or whatever they call it (1 mile of I-10 underground))